50 Fun Facts About Of Mice and Men
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Take the 50-question quizWho wrote Of Mice and Men?
He based it on his own teenage years working alongside migrant farm workers.
In what year was Of Mice and Men published?
It came two years before The Grapes of Wrath.
What is Lennie's surname?
The irony is deliberate: he is a huge man with wide, sloping shoulders.
What is George's surname?
Steinbeck describes him as quick and defined, with restless eyes and a thin, bony nose.
What animals does Lennie dream of tending on the farm?
He loves soft things but pets them so hard he kills them.
Which town did George and Lennie flee before the story begins?
Lennie had grabbed a young woman's dress and would not let go, and a lynch mob formed.
The ranch is near which California town, whose name means solitude in Spanish?
Steinbeck used the name to reinforce the theme of loneliness.
Which poem supplied the title Of Mice and Men?
Burns is said to have composed it after his plough destroyed a mouse's nest at Mossgiel Farm.
Who wrote the poem that gave the novella its title?
He wrote it in Scots in 1785, reportedly while still holding his plough.
What was Steinbeck's original title for the novella?
He meant that nobody could really be blamed for the tragedy.
What happened to an early draft of the manuscript?
The pup made confetti of about half the book one night.
What was the name of the pup that destroyed the draft?
Steinbeck said he was not sure the pup's judgement was wrong.
Steinbeck called the book a play-novelette; how is it structured?
He wanted a novel that could be played from its lines, or a play that read like a novel.
Roughly how many words long is the novella?
Steinbeck wanted a novel that could be played from its lines.
Which character has lost a hand and owns an old, blind dog?
He offers his life savings to join the pair on their farm.
How much money does the old swamper offer toward buying the farm?
In return he asks to live with them; the trio expect to buy the farm at the end of the month.
Who shoots the old swamper's dog?
The thick-bodied ranch hand does it with little sympathy.
What is the job of the ranch's prince, the man Curley respects?
He drives the mule team and is the only man Curley treats with respect.
What does Curley keep on his left hand?
The others call him handy, with some irony.
What was Curley's former occupation?
He dislikes larger men and immediately targets Lennie.
How does Lennie injure Curley during their fight?
George urges him on as Lennie defends himself.
How did Steinbeck describe Curley's wife when explaining her role?
The other characters never call her anything but Curley's wife.
What did Curley's wife dream of becoming?
She confesses her loneliness to Lennie in the barn.
How does Curley's wife die?
She offers to let him stroke her hair, then panics at his strength.
Why is Crooks isolated from the other ranch hands?
He gets his name from his crooked back and lives in the stable.
What does Crooks ask to do on the dream farm?
He scorns the dream even as he asks to join it.
What does Lennie accidentally kill the day before Curley's wife dies?
He kills it by stroking it too hard.
Who is the only character who fully understands why George shoots Lennie?
He leads George away to console him while the others look on baffled.
Which bird shifts from scenery to predator by the final chapter?
It returns to prey on curious snakes, symbolising dreams snatched away.
What did Steinbeck say the real Lennie did to a boss who fired his friend?
Steinbeck said the man was sent to an insane asylum, not to jail.
What did Steinbeck call himself when describing his youth to The New York Times in 1937?
The word means a tramp who carries his bedroll, or bindle.
Which organisation chose the novella as a selection before it was even published?
It drew the greatest positive response of any of his works up to that time.
Where did Of Mice and Men rank on the ALA's most banned and challenged books list for 2000–2009?
It was 28th on the list for the following decade.
At which Broadway venue did the 1937 stage version open on 23 November?
It ran for 207 performances, less than nine months after the book came out.
Who played Lennie in the original 1937 Broadway production?
Wallace Ford played George; Chaney took over Lennie in Los Angeles in 1939.
Which award did the stage version win in 1938, before the Tonys existed?
The production opened while the novel was still on best-seller lists.
Who played Lennie in the 1939 film directed by Lewis Milestone?
Burgess Meredith played George; the film earned four Oscar nominations.
Which composer scored the 1939 film?
The film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Sound and two music awards.
Who directed and starred as George in the 1992 film?
He and Malkovich had played the roles at Steppenwolf in 1980.
Who played Lennie opposite Sinise in the 1992 film?
The two reprised their 1980 Steppenwolf Theatre roles.
Which actress replaced Bridget Fonda as Curley's wife in the 1992 film?
Horton Foote wrote the screenplay; he had worked with Steinbeck on The Red Pony.
Which composer set the novella to music for the stage in 1970?
His version adds a character not in the book, the Ballad Singer.
Which company premiered Floyd's version on 22 January 1970?
It revived the production for the 1976–77 season.
Who starred as George and Lennie in the 1974 Broadway revival?
Franco and O'Dowd led the 2014 revival at the Longacre.
Which Chicago dance company debuted a version of the novella in 2022?
Cathy Marston created the choreography.
In which year did Steinbeck win the Nobel Prize in Literature?
He was cited for realistic and imaginative writings combining sympathetic humour and keen social perception.
In which California town was Steinbeck born?
Much of his work is set in the Salinas Valley and the Coast Ranges.
Who directed the original 1937 Broadway production of Of Mice and Men?
Produced by Sam H. Harris, it ran for 207 performances before moving to Los Angeles in 1939.
Which two stars led the 2014 Broadway revival at the Longacre Theatre?
Leighton Meester and Jim Norton co-starred in the limited 18-week engagement.
Who played George in the 1939 film adaptation?
Wallace Ford had played George on stage; the film's Lennie came from the Los Angeles stage run and was nominated for four Oscars.
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